Airforces

8 // JANUARY 2018 #358 http://www.airforcesmonthly.com

NEWS United Kingdom

A P-8A piloted by Sqn

Ldr Mark Faulds, Royal

Air Force, took part in the

NAS Jax Air Show at Naval

Air Station Jacksonville,

Florida from November

4-5, 2017. The Poseidon,

assigned to locally based

Patrol Squadron (VP) 30

‘Pro’s Nest’, the Fleet

Replacement Squadron

(FRS), was flown by

Sqn Ldr Faulds – who is

detached to the unit as

part of Project ‘Seedcorn’ –

and LT David Hoffman, US

Navy. It flew in formation

with a P-3C from the

same squadron flown by

LT Nathan Durham and

LT Zach Weatherington.

Sqn Ldr Faulds told AFM:

“VP-30 has transitioned

all of the east coast

squadrons [to the P-8A],

and are getting through

the west coast ones now.

We have transitioned eight

frontline squadrons, as well

as VP-30. We continue

to train pilots and rear

crew. We are also helping

transition Australian crews

and we will start training UK

crews at the end of 2018.”

The UK Military Aviation

Authority (MAA) recently

announced it hopes to

certify the maritime patrol

aircraft by early 2019. The

RAF will receive the first

of nine Poseidons later

the same year and the

fleet will be based at RAF

Lossiemouth, Scotland.

RAF pilot displays Poseidon at Jacksonville

Above: A pair of 736 NAS Hawk T1s – XX189 ‘CR’ and XX317 ‘317’ – gets airborne from ‘HMS Seahawk’ during Exercise Kernow Flag. Bob Sharples

THE FIRST ever Exercise

Kernow Flag took place

at Royal Naval Air Station

Culdrose, Cornwall, in

November. The airfield

was transformed into a

simulated aircraft carrier,

‘HMS Seahawk’, and rotary-

and fixed-wing elements

from the base formed part

of a Carrier Task Group

(CTG). More than 600

flying hours and multiple

taskings were planned

during the ten-day exercise.

The manoeuvres were

designed to ensure the

Royal Navy’s Fleet Air

Arm units at Culdrose

are fully ready to support

and integrate with the

future aircraft carriers.

During the ‘war phase’,

the fictional carrier faced

multiple threats, all of

which were intended

to be intercepted by

the embarked CTG.

The exercise involved

736 Naval Air Squadron

(NAS) Hawk T1s, Avenger

T1s from 750 NAS,

Merlin HM2s and Sea

King ASaC7s. Dutch

NH90s on detachment at

Culdrose also took part.

While aircraft flew

scenarios including combat

air patrols, anti-submarine

warfare, search and rescue

and airborne surveillance

and control, the simulated

carrier received no external

support, simulating a carrier

at sea. Bob Sharples

Exercise Kernow Flag

More UK Sea Kings offered for sale

A FURTHER six surplus

Sea Kings were offered for

sale by Witham Specialist

Vehicles (WSV), the UK

MOD’s main disposals agent,

through an online auction

which began on November

8. The deadline for bids was
   November 16. All had been
   stored at WSV’s facility in
   Colsterworth, Lincolnshire.
   The helicopters comprised:
   Sea King HC4 ZF120 (closing
   bid £40,100); Sea King HU
   XV661 (closing bid £20,200);
   Sea King HC4 ZA312 (closing
   bid £28,900); Sea King
   HC4 ZD476 (closing bid
   £38,000); Sea King HAR
   XZ597 (closing bid £40,000);
   and Sea King HC4 ZF

(closing bid £45,100). All of

the HC4s, apart from ZF122,

were listed as being complete

with improved Carson rotor

blades. It is not yet known

who has purchased these

airframes, although ZA

was reportedly exported

to an unknown country on

November 30. Dave Allport

Last No 41 (Reserve)

Squadron Tornado

leaves Coningsby

OUR PREVIOUS report

on the final sortie by the

last two No 41 (Reserve)

Squadron Tornado GR4s

at RAF Coningsby,

Lincolnshire (see Final

sortie for No 41(R)

Squadron Tornado GR4s,

December, p8), requires a

slight correction regarding

the details of their

departure. As previously

stated, ZA560 ‘EB-Q’

left for RAF Marham,

Norfolk, on October 30,

using callsign ‘Rebel 88’.

However, ZA607 ‘EB-

X’ did not go to Marham

after the last mission

on October 13, but

remained at Coningsby

for another month.

It finally left the

Lincolnshire base for

Marham on November 16,

also using callsign ‘Rebel

88’, marking the departure

of the last operational

Tornado at Coningsby.

This ended 33 years of

Tornado operations at

Coningsby. Dave Allport WSV